Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLess hazard damage per building is expected in Sharon Township than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #217 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Sharon Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sharon Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Sharon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sharon Township, and Sharon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
A #217 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sharon Township’s residents live in 14 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sharon Township has less expected damage per building than 78% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Sharon Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sharon Township flood? Sometimes: 61 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharon Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sharon Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.The storms Sharon Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sharon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197923 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19909 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Franklin County
- 19959 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Franklin County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sharon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sharon Township archive →Sharon Township and its neighbors
Sharon Township is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worthington | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 40 |
| Sharon Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Perry Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Columbus | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 429 |
| Westerville | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Riverlea | — | 543 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Sharon Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Sharon Township
Is Sharon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #217 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sharon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 61 claims in Sharon Township since 1979, $436K in all, or 8.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sharon Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Franklin County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sharon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sharon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sharon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Sharon Township’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sharon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sharon Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.